Mexico asks China for help with drug problem
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Mexico's President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has written a letter to the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, asking him to help control shipments of fentanyl. This comes after criticism from the US that Mexico is not doing enough to stop the trafficking of the drug.
Many people blame Fentanyl for an increase in drug overdose deaths in the US.
In the letter, President Lopez Obrador defends Mexico's efforts to control the shipments of the drug. He also criticizes US lawmakers who want to send police and military to Mexico to stop the drug.
President Lopez Obrador asks President Xi to tell Mexico when and where fentanyl is sent. He also wants to know how much is sent and who sent it.
Lopez Obrador says that fentanyl laboratories have started in Mexico, but Mexico does not produce fentanyl yet, and cartels buy it directly from Asia.
He also says that only 30% of the drug consumed in the US enters via Mexico. However, US officials say that the drug is mass-produced in Mexico using chemicals from China.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said that stopping the fentanyl problem was a top priority. He also said that most people arrested in the US for trafficking fentanyl are Americans.
"There's no other country in the world that's doing as much against fentanyl trafficking to the United States as Mexico," Ebrard said.
Vocabulary22 words
- Control
- to have power over something; a limit on something, or the act of limiting something in order to stop it from becoming worse; to check, curb, or regulate; restrain
- Shipment
- sending something from one place to another, usually in a package or container
- Fentanyl
- a very strong painkiller/medicine that can be dangerous if not used correctly
- Criticism
- a negative comment or negative opinion about something;
- Trafficking
- illegally buying or selling goods/products or people
- Drug
- any natural or artificially made chemical that is used as a medicine; any natural or artificially made chemical that is taken for pleasure/fun, to improve performance or because a person feels like they need it; something people take to ‘feel good’
- Blame
- to feel, think or say that someone did something wrong;
- Overdose
- to take too much of a drug or medicine that can be dangerous and sometimes deadly
- Defend
- to protect someone or something against attack; to try to prevent the other team from scoring points, goals, etc.
- Effort
- attempt; hard work; trying to do something;
- Lawmaker
- a person, usually a politician, who makes laws; legislator;
- Laboratory (lab)
- a place where scientists do experiments and research; a cleanroom
- Cartel
- a group of businesses or organizations that work together to control a market and keep prices high to earn a lot of money
- Direct
- going in a straight line towards somewhere or someone without stopping or changing direction; without anyone or anything else being involved or between
- Consume
- to eat, drink, or use something up
- Via
- by way of or through
- Official
- a person who works for the government or a government company and has power or authority; officer; executive
- Mass-produce
- making a lot of something quickly and in large quantities/numbers
- Foreign Minister
- An important government person who communicates with other countries
- Top priority
- the most important thing that needs to be done
- Arrest
- If the police arrest you, they take charge of you and take you to a police station; to use the power of the law to take and/or hold someone; detain; apprehend
- Against
- in opposition to something; to fight; to resist; to try to stop
Discussion questions
- What do you think about the Mexican President's letter to the Chinese President asking for help with fentanyl shipments? Was it a good idea?
- How does the fentanyl problem impact international relations between the US, Mexico, and China?
- How can countries work together to address the global problem of drug trafficking and drug addiction?
- In your opinion, do governments really want to stop drug trafficking, or do some people profit from it?
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